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Bearcats Close 2007 Season On West Coast

Bearcats Close 2007 Season On West CoastBearcats Close 2007 Season On West Coast

Nov. 21, 2007

FIRST SERVE: The 2007 season draws to a close for University of Cincinnati volleyball over the Thanksgiving weekend as the Bearcats take part in the 29th annual Community Bankers Classic in Stockton, Calif. The Bearcats (18-11) are shooting for their 13th consecutive 20-win season, but will need to win both weekend contests. UC is coming off a disappointing opening round loss in the BIG EAST Championship to Notre Dame last week. The Bearcats will look to close 2007 on a high note, opening the tournament on Friday (Nov. 23) against Saint Mary's. Depending on Friday's outcomes, UC will battle either Fresno State or the tournament host, Pacific on Saturday.

NOTING THE BEARCATS:

  • The Bearcats are led by two-time honorable mention all-American Jessie Nevitt, who ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in hitting, kills and blocks. The junior is fourth in blocks (1.38 per game), eighth in hitting (.339) and is just outside the Top 10 in kills (3.71).
  • Three freshmen-setter Annie Fesl, outside hitter Stephanie Niemer and middle blocker Lindsay Upton-are staples in the Bearcats' starting line-up. The trio is combining for 5.77 kills, 3.69 digs, 0.97 aces and 1.75 blocks per game this season, while Fesl is averaging 13.12 assists per game.
  • Nevitt and Niemer both earned all-BIG EAST honors, being named to the first and second teams, respectively. Niemer was also tabbed the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
  • Nevitt is making a charge towards becoming the second player in UC history with 1,000 career kills and 500 career blocks, a feat accomplished only by current assistant coach Myanna Hellsten. Nevitt became the 13th player in school history to reach the 1,000 kill plateau at Louisville (Oct. 20) and has 478 blocks.
  • Cincinnati is the top serving team in the BIG EAST, leading the league with 1.85 aces per game. Niemer and senior Jenny Custer are the leaders, ranking second and fifth in the BIG EAST, respectively, in aces. Custer is one of the top servers in school history, ranking fourth in career aces with 159.
  • Niemer's 29 kills against Seton Hall on Oct. 14 are the second-most by a BIG EAST freshman this year and the seventh-best mark nationally. The count is the most by a Bearcat since Julie DuPont registered 33 at Butler on Sept. 25, 2004.
  • Jaime Frey added her name to an impressive list during UC's Nov. 11 match at DePaul, becoming the 12th player in school history with 1,000 career digs.
  • After finishing the BIG EAST slate with 9-5 mark, UC has now won at least nine conference matches in 12 consecutive seasons.

NOTING THE GAELS:

  • Saint Mary's finished the regular season tied for fifth place in the West Coast Conference with a 14-12 overall mark and a 6-8 league record.
  • The Gaels are led by freshman outside hitter Megan York who ranks second in the WCC with 4.51 kills per game, while adding 3.49 digs per game.

NOTING THE BULLDOGS:

  • Fresno State enters the last weekend of the season having dropped nine straight to fall to 5-24 overall and 3-13 in the Western Athletic Conference.
  • The Bulldogs' top player is senior outside hitter Alisha McKee who was a second team all-WAC selection this year. McKee averages a team-leading 3.16 kills per game.

NOTING THE TIGERS:

  • Two-time National Champion Pacific is 16-9 this year and finished fourth in the Big West Conference at 9-7.
  • The Tigers feature two first team all-Big West selections in Johanna Hilbers and Alexa Anderson who average 3.40 and 3.35 kills per game, respectively.

A TRADITION OF SUCCESS: During recent years, the UC volleyball program has a history of turning out top freshman players and outstanding middle blockers. That history got a new chapter this as freshman Stephanie Niemer and junior Jessie Nevitt were recognized among the BIG EAST's best. Niemer was the big winner, taking home the league's Freshman of the Year honor, while also earning a spot on the all-BIG EAST second team. Nevitt, meanwhile, was named to the all-BIG EAST first team for the third straight year. Niemer becomes the second Cincinnati freshman to win the award in the three years the Bearcats have been BIG EAST members. Coincidently, Nevitt was the other recipient. Niemer is also the fifth Cincinnati player to win conference freshman of the year since Reed Sunahara took over as head coach in 2000. Nevitt becomes the third UC player ever to earn three straight all-conference first team honors and the first since middle blocker Bonita Wise in 2000-02.

TRYING FOR THREE STRAIGHT: Junior Jessie Nevitt is making a push for her third straight all-American honor with her play in 2007. A look at some of Nevitt's accomplishments this season:

  • Earned her third consecutive first team all-BIG EAST honor.
  • Ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in hitting percentage (8th-.339) and blocks per game (4th-1.36) and is just outside the Top-10 with 3.71 kills per game.
  • Became the 13th player in program history with 1,000 career kills during the Louisville match on Oct. 20.
  • Named MVP of the State Farm Bearcats Invitational and to the all-tournament team at the Panther Invitational.
  • Tabbed BIG EAST Player of the Week on Aug. 27 and to the weekly honor roll on Sept. 3, Sept. 10 and Nov. 5.
  • Recorded a career-high 21 kills in just three games in UC's win over Bradley (Sept. 7). Has double figure kills in 24 of the Bearcats' 29 matches this season.
  • Has 19 performances of at least five blocks in a match, including a season-best nine at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Sept. 7) and again vs. St. John's (Oct. 7). Nevitt had six blocks in game one of the St. John's match alone.
  • Cracked the Top 10 on the UC career kills (9th-1,090), block assists (5th-423) and total blocks (7th-480) charts. Ranks fourth on the blocks per game list with 1.47.
  • Is on the fast track to becoming the second UC player ever with 1,000 kills and 500 blocks in her career. Nevitt holds current totals of 1,000 kills and 480 blocks.

MAKING A FIRST IMPRESSION: The Bearcats' freshmen trio of Annie Fesl, Stephanie Niemer and Lindsay Upton have made quite the first impression during their first season of collegiate competition. A look at each's first taste of college:

  • Fesl won a BIG EAST Freshman of the Week award (Sept. 3) and is ranked second in the league with 13.12 assists per game. Against TCU on Sept. 1 and again vs. Seton Hall on Oct. 14, Fesl finished with a career high 69 assists. Her first career match against Southern Miss on Aug. 24 was a good one, as she finished just three assists shy of a UC three-game record with 55 assists. Through matches of Nov. 18, Fesl is listed 20th nationally in assists per game. Fesl has also done a solid job defensively with 1.91 digs and 0.61 blocks per game, including highs of 13 digs (twice) and six blocks.
  • Niemer is the 2007 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and also has a BIG EAST Freshman of the Week award (Sept. 24) Overall, she ranks second on the team with 3.57 kills per game and was ninth in the league with a team-leading 3.88 kills per game during conference matches only. Niemer posted a career-high and the seventh-highest total by a freshman in the nation this season with 29 at Seton Hall on Oct. 14. She has also been outstanding from the service line, holding the team lead with 54 aces (including seven at Villanova on Oct. 13) and ranking second in the BIG EAST with 0.52 per game.
  • Upton cracked the starting six against Maryland on Aug. 25 and has been a solid player in the middle opposite of Jessie Nevitt. She has reached double figures in kills eight times and is averaging 1.83 kills, 0.67 digs and 0.71 blocks per game. Offensively, Upton tallied a career-high 13 kills in the BIG EAST Championship vs. Notre Dame (11/16) and has twice reached a personal-best six blocks.

HOME COURT HEROES: Cincinnati has enjoyed a strong home court advantage since the opening of Fifth Third Arena in 1989. In the 17-plus years the building has been in existence, the Bearcats have posted a 157-60 (.724) record at home and are 92-13 (.876) since Reed Sunahara took over as head coach in 2000. The Bearcats ended last year with a 13-2 home mark and completed this season 9-2, with their only losses coming to No. 2 Stanford (Sept. 12) and No. 18 St. John's (Oct. 7).

ON THE HORIZON: With two wins this weekend, head coach Reed Sunahara will add another milestone to his coaching resume this season. Now in his eighth year as the Bearcat boss, Sunahara needs just two more victories to reach 200 for his career. Already the winningest coach in program history, Sunahara has guided UC to four NCAA Tournament appearances and three conference regular season crowns.

CUSTER'S LAST STAND: Senior Jenny Custer has been a regular contributor during her Bearcat career and is having another solid campaign in 2007. This year, Custer is listed third on the Bearcats with 2.85 kills per game, while adding 1.72 digs and 0.58 blocks per game. She is also listed fifth in the BIG EAST with 0.38 service aces per game. In UC career annals, Custer has moved into fourth place on the service aces list with 159. Against Syracuse on Sept. 30, Custer finished with 19 kills on .417 hitting, missing her career-high of 22 set last year against the same Orange team. She has a shot at becoming the 14th UC player ever with 1,000 career kills, but will need to tally 25 in the Bearcats' final two matches of 2007 this weekend.